Cable carrier with removable plastic links

ABSTRACT

A cable carrier consisting of a chain with a plurality of links for conveying electric power, water, etc. to the point of application on equipment-in-motion in which each links consists essentially of plastic and includes U-shaped base and U-shaped cover. The cover has a width less than the distance between the pivot axes on the base to allow for sag in the carrier to thus allow a long length carrier to be used. On the other hand, a fixed radius of curvature is provided so that the cable which is carried is not bent excessively.

United States Patent [1'91 Boissevain et al.

[ Dec. 18, 1973 CABLE CARRIER WITH REMOVABLE PLASTIC LINKS [75]Inventors: Mathew Boissevain, Los Altos Hills; Erik B. Dahlin, Saratoga,both of Calif.

[73] Assignee: Measurex Corporation, Cupertino,

Calif.

[22] Filed: Sept. 7, 1972 a 211 App]. No.: 286,853.

521 U.S.Cl. s9/7a.1, 248/49 511 Int.Cl. F16g 13/02 581 Field oiSearch..59/78.l;248/49,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,284,036 ll/l966- Nansel248/49 5/l968 Berkes ..59/78.l 5/1972 Heidrich ..59/78.l

Primary ExaminerCharles W. Lanham Assistant Examiner-Gene P. CrosbyAttorney-Paul D. Flehr et al.

[57] ABSTRACT A cable carrier consisting of a chain with a plurality oflinks for conveying electric power, water, etc. to the point ofapplication on equipment-in-motion in which each links consistsessentially of plastic and includes U-shaped base and U-shaped cover.The cover has a width less than the distance between the pivot axes onthe base to allow for sag in the carrier to thus allow a long lengthcarrier to be used. On the other. hand, a fixed radius of curvature isprovided so that the cable which is carried is not bent excessively.

9 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures PATENTED Ht: 1 8 may III N QI PATEN' IEBDEC 1 81975 smears FIG 4 FIG 3 32\ FIG 5 CABLE CARRIER WITH REMOVABLEPLASTIC LINKS BACKGROUNDOF THE INVENTION The present inventionisdirected in general to a cable carrier with removable :plastic links andmore particularly to a carrier used for conveying electric power, water,etc. to a point of application on equipment-inmotion.

One well known cable carrier is marketed under the trademark POWER TRAK,manufactured by Maysteel Products Corp., Gleason Reel Division ofMayville. Wisconsin. This carrier consists of metal links connected bypivot pins. The unsupported length of the carrier acts like a beamsupported at its ends. When a specified unsupported length is exceededroller supports must be used. The use of such supports is unsatisfactoryin many applications. Also the unsupported length is subject toexcessive wear and corrosion under high speed operation and severeambient conditions.

Another carrier is manufactured under the trademark FLEX-8 by theInsul-8 Corp. of San Carlos, Calif. which is a subsidiary of The RuckerCompany. This carrier is an extruded plastic tube which is cut intolinks with one side of the tube serving as the hinge between links. Inoperation, the upper portion of the tube will sag and bear on the lowerportion for part of its travel. However, because of the foregoing hingearrangement, such sag may be excessive and again must be compensated forby rollers with their attendent deficiencies. Also, the FLEX-8 carrier,since it is continuous. does not allow either inspection of the cableorreplacement of links. Also, sharp corners at the hinge cause cablefraying.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is another object of theinvention to provide a cable carrier which performs satisfactorily evenunder extreme ambient conditions.

It is another object to provide a cable carrier which allows convenientaccess to the cable at any point.

In accordance with the above objects there is provided a multiple cableor hose carrier consisting of a chain with a plurality of links forconveying electric power, water, etc. to a point of application onequipment-in-motion. Each of the links consists substantially of plastictype material and includes a U-shaped base and a U-shaped link cover.The base and cover are adapted to fit together to form a unitarystructure. The base has first and second pairs of pivot means of maleand female type construction respectively for coupling to the oppositetype pivot means of adjacent links. The pivot means each have a pivotaxis. The axes of each base is spaced a predetermined distance which isgreater than the width of the cover to allow a chain of severalunsupported links to sag. Each of the bases has a bight portion whosewidth is less than the spacing of said axes to provide a fixed radius ofcurvature when the edges of the bight portions of adjacent links abut.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a simplified sideelevational view with certain parts broken away of apparatusincorporating the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a simplified cross-sectional view substantially taken alongthe line 2--2of FIG. ll showing typical cabling carried by the carrier;

FIG. 3 is a more detailed view of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a side view of FIG. 3 but showing an additional link isabutting relationship;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 55 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a side view partially exploded of three connected links;

FIG. 7 is a side view of one link;

FIG. 8 is a left end view of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a right end view of FIG. 7; and

FIG. 10 is a top view of FIG. 7.

EMBODIMENT A typical environment of the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 1 where a sheet gauging apparatus is illustrated. Itconsists of a main frame 11 with a pair of spaced end supports 12 and 13which extend generally in a vertical direction and a pair ofsubstantially parallel I-beams 14 and 16 which extend generally in ahorizontal direction and are secured to the end supports 12 and 13.

Mounted for transverse movement on the I--beams l4 and 16 are an uppergauging head 17 and a lower gauging head 18. A gap 19 therebetweenaccommodates, for example, a moving sheet of newsprint. In operation thegauging heads 1.7 and 18 are moved back and forth or as illustrated onthe paper from left to right and back again to continuously scan a sheetof newsprint, for example, which is moving in a direction perpendicularto the drawing sheet. Details of such apparatus are more fully shown inUS. Pat. No. 3,621,259 assigned to the present assignee and in the nameof Mathew G. Boissevain one of the co-inventors of the presentapplicatron.

Gauging heads 17 and 18 require electrical, coolant liquid and purge gasconnections to a necessarily fixed point. In accordance with the presentinvention, a carrier 21 is provided which is fixed at end point 22 andis coupled to the equipment in motion or gauging head 17 at point 23. Asis apparent from the drawing, the top portion of the carrier doublesover on itself at the curved portion 24 and includes a sag portion wherethe upper carrier rides against the lower carrier at the contact area27. A similar carrier would be utilized for the lower gauging head 18.

FIG. 2 shows a simplified cross-section of the carrier illustrating bothan electrical strip-line 28 and flexible hoses 29.

The cross section of FIG. 3 more fully illustrates the two components ofa single link of the carrier which includes a U-shaped link base 31 anda U-shaped link cover 32, the co er snapping onto the base to form aunitary structure. Base 31 includes the bight or bottom portion 33 withlegs 34 and 35. Similarly, cover 32 includes a top or bight portion 37with legs 38 and 39. As also sho n in FIG. 6, cover 32 includes a pairof ex tended tabs 38a and 39a for snapping into holes 34a and 35a ofbase 31. The tabs include latching portions 38b and 39b for hooking thetab portions 38a and 39a into the apertures 34a and 35a.

Moreover, since the entire link structure which includes the cover 32and the base 31, consists substantially of plastic which is bendable,the cover as illustrated in FIG. 6 is easily removed from its base toprovide for inspection or replacement of the cables and hoses. Asillustrated in FIG. 4, the base has first and second pairs of pivotmeans. These include a first pair of male pivot means 41 and a secondpair of female pivot means 40. Specifically, the male pivot means 41 arein the form of buttons 42 having a chamfered edge 43 and the femalepivot means 40 are in the form of apertures 44 which are ofa suitablesize for receiving buttons 42.

In phantom view there is illustrated an adjacent link having its malepivot means engaged or coupled to the female pivot means 40. Inaddition, the bight portion 33 of the base 31 of the phantom view hasone edge in engagement with the similar bight portion of the full lineview. This abutting occurs at the point 46. Each bight portion 33includes the chamfered edges 47 and 48 so that when the edges areabutted a smooth interior surface of the carrier is formed and thuseliminates abrasion of the cable due to sharp corners. A fixed radius ofcurvature indicated by the arrow R on FIG. 1 is formed which preventsexcessive bending of the cable which is carried.

The carrier sag at the area 27 shown in FIG. 1 is also shown in thecross-sectional view of FIG. 5. Since the top portion of the carrierrides on the bottom portion, this feature eliminates excessive beamstresses in the carrier. As further illustrated in FIG. 5, the upper andlower carrier portions are carried in an overall U- shaped channel 51which would be affixed at portion 52 to the horizontal Ibeam 14. Channel51 is not illustrated in the simplified view of FIG. 1. This maintainsthe alignment of the upper and lower portions of the carrier.Alternatively, of course, the carrier could be utilized in a sidewayorientation and vertical channel I 51 would not be necessary.

Referring now to FIG. 6, in oreder to provide the above-mentioned sag inthe carrier the axis 41 of the male pivot means 41 and the axis 40' ofthe female pivot means 40 are spaced a distance illustrated as A whichis somewhat larger than the width B of cover 32. This provides a gap 53which thereby allows the sag to occur.

On the other hand, the bight portions 33 necessarily have a width asillustrated in FIG. 4 which is substantially less than the distance Abetween the axes 41 and 40' to provide the radius of curvature R.

FIG. 7 illustrates a typical link and FIG. -8 the left end view of thelink which more clearly shows the chamfered edges 43 on the button 42 toallow for easy coupling of one link to another. This feature also allowsfor easy extension of the length of the total carrier.

FIG. 9 is a right end view of FIG. 7 which in conjunction with FIG.illustrates the extended tabs 56 and 57 of the base which include thepivot means 40 with apertures 44. These extended tabs also includechamfered portions 56a and 57a for leading onto the chamfered portion ofthe button 42. In addition, the female pivot means 40 are offset fromthe legs 34 and 35 of the base at points 58 and 59 and also providedwith the grooves 61 and 62 to allow flexure of the tabs 56 and 57. Theoffset thus provides a torque during longitudinal tension on the overallchain of the carrier which tends to bend the female pivot means 40toward each other into firmer engagement with the male pivot means 41.

Referring to FIG. 6, the pivot axes-40' and 41' are offset from thebight portions 33, or in other words the bottom of the base, a distanceof less than one-half the distance between the bight portions 33 and thetop 37 of cover 32. Thus, the pivot axes are located nearer the base 31than the top 37 of the cover 32. This allows, for example, the stripelectric cable 28 as illustrated in FIG. 2 to be located substantiallyin the center line of the pivot axes 40' and 41' to provide for minimumstretching of the electrical cable. The flexible hoses being, forexample, constructed of stretchable materials, can more easilyaccommodate stretching during the bending of the carrier.

In order to accommodate the sag as illustrated in FIG. 1 in the area ofcontact 27 between one link of the carrier and another, both the topportion 37 of cover 32 and the bight portion 33 of base 31 have roundededges so as to provide easy sliding friction. This is further providedby the plastic nature of the material. In addition, as illustrated inFIG. 9 when the carrier is operated in a horizontal orientation or inother words rotated the side portions also present a substantial flatbearing surface to provide for easy sliding.

Thus, the present invention provides an improved cable carrier which maybe constructed with extremely long lengths without the need of supportrollers. It provides a fixed radius of curvature which preventsexcessive bending of cable and also provides pivot points which providea predetermined cable bend radius and thus minimize the wearing ofelectrical cable. Also the plastic material minimizes fraying of thecable. The carrier operates under conditions of high speed andtemperatures satisfactorily because of the nature ofthe material usedand the mechanical construction as discussed above.

We claim:

1. A multiple cable or hose carrier consisting of a chain with aplurality of links for conveying electric power, water, etc. to a pointof application on equipment-in-motion, each of said links consistingsubstantially of plastic type material and including a U-shaped linkbase, a U-shaped link cover, said base and cover being adapted to fittogether to form a unitary structure said base having first and seconsecond of pivot means of male and female type construction respectivelyfor coupling to the opposite type pivot means -of adjacent links, saidpivot means each having a pivot axis, said axes of each base beingspaced a predetermined distance which is greater than the width of saidcover to allow a chain of several unsupported links to sag, each of saidbases having a bight portion whose width is less than said spacing ofsaid axes to provide a fixed radius of curvature when the edges of thebight portions of adjacent links abut.

2. A carrier as in claim 1 where said bight portions include chamferededges to provide a smooth interior surface when said edges are abuttedto form said fixed radius of curvature.

3. A carrier as in claim 1 where said female pivot means snap onto saidmale pivot means.

4. A carrier as in claim 3 where said bight portions include a pair ofslots to allow flexing of said female pivot means when snapped onto saidmale pivot means.

said bases.

8. A carrier as in claim 7 where each of said covers includes a pair ofextended tabs for snapping into holes in the legs of said base said tabshaving latching means for retaining said coverin engagement.

9. A carrier as in claim 1 where said pivot axes are offset from saidbight portions less than one-half the distance between said bightportion and the top of said cover.

* l Ill

1. A multiple cable or hose carrier consisting of a chain with aplurality of links for conveying electric power, water, etc. to a pointof application on equipment-in-motion, each of said links consistingsubstantially of plastic type material and including a U-shaped linkbase, a U-shaped link cover, said base and cover being adapted to fittogether to form a unitary structure said base having first and seconsecond of pivot means of male and female type construction respectivelyfor coupling to the opposite type pivot means of adjacent links, saidpivot means each having a pivot axis, said axes of each base beingspaced a predetermined distance which is greater than the width of saidcover to allow a chain of several unsupported links to sag, each of saidbases having a bight portion whose width is less than said spacing ofsaid axes to provide a fixed radius of curvature when the edges of thebight portions of adjacent links abut.
 2. A carrier as in claim 1 wheresaid bight portions include chamfered edges to provide a smooth interiorsurface when said edges are abutted to form said fixed radius ofcurvature.
 3. A carrier as in claim 1 where said female pivot means snaponto said male pivot means.
 4. A carrier as in claim 3 where said bightportions include a pair of slots to allow flexing of said female pivotmeans when snapped onto said male pivot means.
 5. A carrier as in claim4 where said female pivot means are offset from the legs of saidU-shaped base to provide a torque during longitudinal tension on saidchain which tends to bend said female pivot means toward each other intofirmer engagement with said male pivot means.
 6. A carrier as in claim 1where said male pivot means includes a button having a chamfered edgefor leading into said female pivot means which include a circularaperture for receiving said buttons.
 7. A carrier as in claim 1 wheresaid covers snap onto said bases.
 8. A carrier as in claim 7 where eachof said covers includes a pair of extended tabs for snapping into holesin the legs of said base said tabs having latching means for retainingsaid cover in engagement.
 9. A carrier as in claim 1 where said pivotaxes are offset from said bight portions less than one-half the distancebetween said bight portion and the top of said cover.